The legislator of the Plural Group complained to the military official, who a few days ago, in the midst of the discussion on the extension until 2028 of the use of the armed forces for security tasks, criticized the opposition for having tendentious expressions that seek to alienate the citizenry. of its Armed Forces.
“Those of us who have made remarks to military tasks, in the exercise of our legislative work, do not deserve your reproach, I do not accept it, I am not your troops and we should not think the same!” Said the senator. “The times of single thought and nation-government-party-army confusion must not return.”
“They ordered you to build an airport, a train, etc., you obey, and if they ordered you to liquidate an electoral adversary, would you also obey?” He immediately reminded him that the military are prohibited from getting involved in politics or religious affairs.
“What deals and contracts did the Secretary of Defense make with Alejandro Moreno, the alleged criminal, according to the Campeche Prosecutor’s Office? Why did he get involved in political matters, precisely under the Chapultepec Castle? Do you, Mr. Sandoval, feel authorized to trample on those orders from General Cárdenas?” Martínez Cázares continued reproaching him.
That was the tone of the debate during the appearance before the Senate of the Secretary of Public Security and Citizen Participation, Rosa Icela Rodríguez, who was accompanied by the heads of the Sedena, Luis Crescencio Sandoval, from the Navy, José Rafael Ojeda and General Luis Rodríguez Bucio, commander of the National Guard, but by parliamentary agreement of Morena and her allies, they only remained seated in front of Secretary Rodríguez, since they only went to listen and not to appear.
Rodríguez assured that there is no militarization in the country, as the opposition pointed out in various interventions.
“Militarization is that the military govern. In the case of Mexico there is a civil government. The Mexican Army is one of peace that does not persecute or criminalize… militarization as it is conceived at the international level goes through socializing and normalizing war thinking, it is promoting the justified use of State violence and criminalizing from a war thinking that is why we say that in our country there is no such militarization”, he defended.
? Appearance of the Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Rosa Icela Rodríguez Velázquez, on the occasion of the Fourth Government Report, of October 19, 2022. https://t.co/myKWS13o2a
– Mexican Senate (@senadomexicano)
October 19, 2022
In any case, he recognized that the National Guard was born with 80% of its military training elements but “no one was fooled, it was already made up of military” for which he assured that the strategy does have a civilian command and it has not agreed with crime.
In a context of denunciations of the militarization of public security and the leaking of thousands of hacked documents to the Secretary of National Defense (Sedena) that reveal corruption, human rights violations and cases of links with criminals, the secretary barely alluded this topics.
He asked the legislators “to determine new criminal behaviors related to cybersecurity.”
In addition, he recognized “those who acted with high-mindedness for the safety of Mexicans. The contribution by approving the permanence of the Armed Forces in public security tasks shows that as Mexicans we are united by an end, peace”, he said.
The official assured that if there are results in the strategy to combat crime and practically all crimes are going down.
“The line between public service and service to crime is well defined and this security cabinet has chosen to serve Mexico with all the strength and coordination of the State, under the orders of a civilian command,” said the secretary in her appearance before the plenary session of the Senate, on the occasion of the fourth government report of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
That is why the official faced criticism from Senator Emilio Álvarez Icaza, from the Plural Group, who lamented that the heads of the Armed Forces remained silent.
This despite the fact that by extending the term for the military to carry out security tasks, there were benches that “presumed parliamentary control” and “it took two weeks to retract that commitment,” said the senator.
An appearance is far from being disrespectful, it is essential in a system of balance of powers, stressed the leader of the Citizen Movement in the Senate, Clemente Castañeda, warning that the security strategy is a failure and criticizing militarization is criticize the civil authorities for their failure.
Senator Claudia Anaya, of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) -who supported extending the tasks of the Sedena in security until 2028-, regretted that the heads of the Armed Forces did not come to appear, by decision of Morena.
There is a “black hole that Morena is putting them into and that will end up deeply hurting the Armed Forces,” he said. “Be careful, Morena is exposing you, you continue to be at legal risk,” she sentenced.
